From the first unicellular life on Earth, living things have had the                  capacity to sense heat and cold and to avoid extreme temperatures. With the                  development of a bigger brain and a constant body temperature, mammals were able to                  change their habitats. The interplay between behavior, body temperature, and ambient                  temperature may have played a crucial role in human evolution. In this book Carl                  Gisolfi and Francisco Mora tell the evolutionary story of the brain and                  thermoregulation, with an emphasis on modern humans.The book first traces the story                  of the brain throughout evolution and shows how the control of body temperature as a                  survival mechanism was achieved. It then goes on to discuss the mechanisms of our                  environmental independence, why a body temperature of 37° C (only five degrees                  from death) is essential for humans and how this narrow temperature range is                  defended. It describes how we cope with environmental extremes, the function of                  fevers, and why thermoregulation is best understood through a combination of                  physiological and cognitive approaches. It also addresses such questions as "Can we                  cool the brain?" and "Is the elevation in brain temperature (a hot brain) the reason                  we stop exercising?"

The Hot Brain: Survival, Temperature, and the Human Body PDF

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